(submission) (sci/tech) Europe's Galileo Launch A Success, page 1

posted on Dec, 28 2005 @ 02:00 PM

link

ESA (The European Space Agency), has launched a satellite named Giove-A from Kazakhstan's Baiknour Space Center on Wednesday December 28 aboard a Soyuz rocket. The Galileo project, which aims to put up as many as 30 such satellites into orbit, plans to provide unprecedented navigational accuracy.

news.bbc.co.uk
In few years' time, a small Galileo chip will be integrated in mobile phones, giving users the ability to pinpoint restaurants, hotels, movie theatres, hospitals or car parks.

Galileo will deliver the tools national governments need to introduce wide-scale road charging.

The network will also underpin Europe's new air-traffic control system. The single European sky initiative will overhaul current technologies used to keep planes at safe separations, and allow pilots to fly their own routes and altitudes.

Please visit the link provided for the complete story.

I think this is an excellent example of the progress achieved in technology. It will be neat to see where this takes us in the future in terms of precision and availibility. Will conventional forms of navigation such as maps become outdated? We'll just have to wait and see.

Related News Links:
www.redherring.com
today.re uters.com
sify.com

[edit on 28-12-2005 by Liquidus]

picklewalsh

posted on Dec, 28 2005 @ 06:52 PM

link

I think this is a very good idea, as the current GPS system is supplied by the American Milatery. The current system is only as accuret as the US mil. wants it to be, ranging from 2M to 20M, which isnt vry helpfull when trying to sail through a small channel ( i should know). Where as the new European one will not be owned by the milatery and should offer a better service.

Also it shows how much the technology of the UK and Europe is advancing, which is also a good thing.

tek_604

posted on Dec, 30 2005 @ 04:53 AM

link

GIOVE-A launched and operating perfectly in orbit

spacedoubt

posted on Dec, 30 2005 @ 09:41 PM

link

didn't they try this once before..the US I mean..With Iridium program?